Baseline Testing in Adaptive and Paralympic Sports

Standard baseline protocols assume able-bodied norms — standing balance tests, walking gait assessment, and standard computer interfaces. Athletes in wheelchairs, athletes with limb differences, athletes with visual impairment, and athletes with intellectual disabilities all require modified baseline approaches.

Research on concussion in Paralympic sports is minimal but growing, with publications in the British Journal of Sports Medicine beginning to address this gap. Modified protocols might include seated balance assessment, upper-body stability measures, and adapted cognitive testing interfaces. At Headquarters, we work with adaptive athletes to create individualized baseline protocols.

See also concussion testing for athletes with autism for another population where standard norms fail.

Frequently asked questions